The environmental activist Mona Khalil photographed on the beach of Mansouri, whose protection she has dedicated her life to. (credit: Photo taken from her Facebook page)
BEIRUT — Israeli strikes, which targeted the village of Mansouri on Thursday morning, injured environmental activist Mona Khalil, known for her commitment to protecting sea turtles along the Sour coastline, our correspondent in south Lebanon reported.
Several social media pages issued a call for O-negative blood donors to go to Jabal Amel Hospital, where she is being treated, and which is also regularly struck.
Mona Khalil is one of the leading figures in aquatic wildlife protection in Lebanon. She notably created an ecotourism and environmental project on the beach at Mansouri called "The Orange House Project."
Mansouri lies just north of what the Israelis call "the yellow line," a de facto "buffer zone" where dozens of villages are occupied, although destruction there remains severe.
The conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli army has been ongoing since March 2; all cease-fire declared since have been ignored by both sides, and the war continues.
Determined against corruption, gentle with the most vulnerable
"Mona was seriously injured and taken to Jabal Amel Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery and has been kept under strong sedatives since yesterday (Thursday)," said Fadia Joumaa, an environmental activist from Sour who also devoted herself, following Mona's example, to monitoring Sour's beaches to help newborn sea turtles safely reach the sea.
According to Joumaa, Mona Khalil is conscious again on Friday morning and appears to be out of danger. Contacts have been made with the Lebanese Army for her to be transferred as soon as possible to the AUB hospital (AUBMC) in Beirut, along with her Ethiopian housekeeper, who was also injured in the strike.
"Mona barricaded herself inside her house, receiving no visitors and believing she was safe because she is a civilian," she added. Citing witness accounts of the strike, she said that Mona Khalil's house was hit directly, and the shell landed on the side where her bedroom is located.
The fact that she remained in such an exposed village did not surprise Joumaa. "She absolutely refused to be displaced, which was fitting for someone so determined," she said.
Khalil is known for her longstanding opposition to projects that threatened to cover "her beach" with concrete, which became a sanctuary for sea turtles. She succeeded in having the beach classified as a "hima," a type of protected area managed by individuals and local authorities.
"We owe her for raising awareness about the protection of these often-threatened turtle species, not just in Mansouri but throughout the region," Joumaa added. "In short, she is determined in fighting corruption, and gentle with sea turtles, these so vulnerable creatures," she summed up.
